Swimming has always been a significant part of my sporting life. I can't remember learning to swim and rarely had more than a day out of the water - that was until retiring from modern pentathlon. Admittedly I've never been a morning person, so I knew the sessions at the crack of dawn wouldn't be missed, but I genuinely thought I was addicted to my regular chlorine fix. With no event to train for I've naturally swayed away from swimming and found more sociable and flexible sports to keep me fit. I recently had two very different excuses to make my return to the pool.
At an international sports conference, where I was representing the modern pentathlon governing body, there was an opportunity to attend a swim clinic by a current world record holder. I was sold a slightly dampened down agenda and convinced myself it was going to be a fun affair even if it did involve the obligatory early morning start. It turned into rather a hard session but despite the shock to the system I thoroughly enjoyed it. So much so I couldn't turn down my next invite for a dip, this time at the other end of the performance spectrum.
I've always been a strong advocate for children learning to swim - it is such a valuable skill even if just for safety. Having taught the primary school age group in the past I know how important confidence in the water is. So what better time to learn than
before you can even crawl? The session with my eleven month old niece was not as strenuous as the aforementioned but I was equally impressed with her swimming skills. She's already mastered opening her eyes underwater, something I still struggle with. It might not officially count as swimming but she's off to a good start.
